Marangattupally: School students here have learnt to make Christmas lanterns in the traditional way. The students of Labour India Gurukulam Public School decided to shun plastic and LED-powered stars, and gave a shot at the traditional star-making process using bamboo twigs, jute strings and paper.
Their teachers also helped them to carve out stalks from the giant bamboos growing on the school campus. K C Babykutty, the teacher, guided the students in cutting down eight long stalks from which they carved out 20-inch-long strips and came out with polished wedges for making the environmental-friendly stars.
The teachers imparted special training to the students on designing the frame of the ornamental Christmas lantern. For each group, the teachers gave papers of different hues to be pasted on the stars. Candles placed in coconut shells replace electric bulbs to light up the bamboo stars.
After sweating it out for 22 days, the students are thrilled as their bamboo stars have lit up.
